Texans-Bengals report card

Share this:

John McClain grades the Texans’ performance in Sunday’s 28-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Give your grades in our polls.

Quarterback

Matt Schaub was 28-of-40 for 392 yards and four touchdowns. He had one interception and was sacked twice. One was his fault. With a running game that netted only 87 yards, his passing helped the Texans control the ball for 36:15.

Running backs

Steve Slaton ran for 43 yards on 19 carries and lost a fumble. Chris Brown had 45 yards on nine carries. Slaton redeemed himself with six catches for 102 yards and a 38-yard touchdown.

Wide receivers/tight ends

Andre Johnson had 135 yards on eight catches. It was his third 100-yard game. Owen Daniels had seven receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns, giving him four this season. Jacoby Jones had a 23-yard scoring catch.

Offensive line

Right guard Chris White played well in his first start. Antoine Caldwell was inconsistent in his first action. The blockers gave up one sack. They helped the running game net only 87 yards.

Defensive line

Rookie Connor Barwin got his first sack. Jeff Zgonina started in place of Shaun Cody and ignited an outstanding run defense that included Antonio Smith and Tim Bulman moving inside.

Linebackers

Brian Cushing forced two fumbles and had a touchdown-saving interception in the last two minutes when the Bengals were trying to rally. DeMeco Ryans had a team-best 12 tackles and led the way to limiting the Bengals to 46 yards rushing.

Defensive backs

They surrendered one touchdown pass at the end of the first half. As usual, Bernard Pollard led the defensive backs with six tackles. Pollard also recovered a fumble. Dunta Robinson had five tackles.

Special teams

Kris Brown had a second field goal blocked in two weeks. Punter Matt Turk had two touchbacks and two inside the 20. Kickoff returns were mediocre. Jacoby Jones had a 30-yard punt return. Coverage was good.

Coaching

Gary Kubiak and his assistants had their players ready to play. They attacked the Bengals’ zone on offense, and the defense shut down Cedric Benson.